Broken Crown: Book 1: Eclipse of the Sun
by Runereader of the Nightwings
Summary: Eclipse, an agent for an unnamed organization. Runereader, a mysterious Nightwing. Sahara, a thoughtful sandwing. And Blizzard, an icewing royal guard. The four unlikeliest dragons meet at Jade Mountain Academy and immediately are dragged into the lore of an ancient legend. Follow Eclipse in book one as he struggles to complete his assignment and keep his friends alive.
1. Prologue

**Yep, this story is being rewritten. You're Welcome.  
**

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Prologue

Eclipse was annoyed. He had been told to meet his 'handler' at moon-high in the deep swamps of the jungle. No one had shown up yet and mud clung to his legs as he trudged through the disgusting swamp.

"Eclipse." A deep voice sounded behind him.

Eclipse tried to turn around quickly, but in reality, it was a slow agonizing turn through the mud.

"I assume you are the handler I am supposed to meet?"

A nightwing walked into the open. Black, almost green looking scales covering there body, hiding them in the shadows.

"Yes… you can refer to me as my codename, Outlook."

"Alright 'Outlook', what is the purpose of this meeting?"

"We have intel that a new animus might be surfacing in Jade Mountain Academy." Outlook said, before adding wryly, "Besides the two they already have."

Eclipse shrugged, "What does this have to do with me? I'm not trained in animus catching."

Outlook reached into a bag on their side and tossed him an armband with various stones mounted to it.

"You're one of the only agents we have young enough to attend. That armband will protect you from various things including animus magic and mindreading."

Eclipse paused, "So you want me to go to Jade Mountain Academy, and catch the new animus?"

"No, we want you to find the new animus, observe them, and report. Once we find them, we will send in a team that does specialize in catching animuses."

"Okay… how did you get me a slot? I thought all entries to the academy must be approved by their queen?"

Outlook gave a wan smile, "We happen to have an 'in' with Queen Glory. I believe she is the only queen to know of our existence, and I would like to keep it that way so don't screw up."

Eclipse rolled his eyes, "Have I ever?"

"Yes. Quite often actually, do you not remember the whole fiasco in the skywing kingdom. We had to call in the director on that one after your target managed to gain control of half the royal assembly."

Eclipse flinched at the rebuke, "It all worked out though, didn't it?"

"After the director enchanted the entire kingdom to forget about it. Not a small fix."

Eclipse waved his hand impatiently. "One time! I screw up one time!"

"Sea Kingdom? Before that? Not as bad but still, reattaching someone's tail still requires more magic. And then there was the ice kingdom-"

"Moving on, when have I ever not accomplished a simple recognition mission?"

Outlook paused and thought for a moment. "Fair, you definitely had the best scores on animus identification, although your espionage score was slightly higher. Maybe that's why the director chose you."

Eclipse felt a bit of pride at this nightwing's words. "Exactly! I won't mess this one up!"

"I know you won't. That's what your partner is there for."

Eclipse's pride turned to shock and rage. "I don't need a partner! That'll make it worse!"

"Let me rephrase that. They're not your partner, they are your contact. You will inform them if the op goes south, and they will bring in the big guns. They will not get involved otherwise."

Eclipse slumped in defeat, "Fine, what's their name?"

"Names are a powerful thing, Eclipse. You need not know theirs, if you need them just utter the phrase 'The fire has gone out' and they will know to find you."

Eclipse frowned but then sighed. "Alright, I guess I'm headed to Jade Mountain then."

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 **TWICE, TWICE I had to rewrite this writers note, the first time because I reloaded the page, the second time because of Encryption Errors. WELL, I'm gonna keep this short.** **Look at my profile page for what's going on with a status update. And also I need oc's for this story so hit me up with their: Name, Age, Personality, Tribe, Appearance, and Other. No Mudwings, and No Powers.**

 **~Runereader  
Sick of Writing An Outro,**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

POV - Eclipse

 _Three moons it's loud._

Was Eclipse's initial impression of the academy when he arrived with the rest of the rainwing students. He wouldn't admit it, but he wasn't used to so much noise and it made him anxious.

He walked carefully and slowly towards the entrance. And exuberant nightwing was handing out scrolls to every student who passed. While another, seemingly quieter dragon handed them out to those the first missed. Eclipse made up his mind that he would try to get the quieter one, he had no want to meet someone that loud.

He walked slowly up to the second nightwing who noticed him and walked over.

"Hello, you're a new student here?" Her brow creased. "I'm Moonwatcher, I'm one of the older students here, you are?"

"Eclipse."

"Eclipse? Let me see here…" Moonwatcher sorted through the scrolls in her hand before finding one with his name on it. "Here, this scroll has a map with you're room marked on it as well as a few other handy places to know."

Eclipse reached out and took the scroll and began to walk away when Moonwatcher commented. "Eclipse. An odd name for a rainwing. Where are you from? In the rainforest I mean."

Eclipse thought about it, he wasn't really from the rainforest so he just made a place up. "The red swamps, near the edge of the rainforest by the delta."

Moonwatcher nodded slowly, "Well good luck on your first day."

Eclipse thanked her and then got out his map and followed it to his room. It was apparently in the red wing and he was assigned to the Scarlet Winglet.

Scarlet. What an interesting color… Eclipse changed a patch of scales to the hue in curiosity. And to his surprise, he actually liked it. Staying inconspicuous would be easier if I was a bit more 'rainwing.' And it's not like its permanent…

Eclipse allowed the hue to flow across his scales, along with a few other hues of red and crimson. When he examined his scales in a mirror in the hall, he was satisfied.

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He had just stowed his scroll at one of the racks on the wall of his new room when he felt another dragon approaching. He turned around quickly to find himself face to face with a red sandwing.

The sandwing's expression showed surprise at his reaction before it disappeared.

"Are you Eclipse?"

"Yes? And you are?"

"Sahara," Sahra answered neutrally.

"So you must be my clawmate then?" Eclipse could feel the awkwardness and hated it.

"I guess. Although you do not look like how they described you. The nightwing at the entrance said you looked like a nightwing?"

"I changed my scales. Sorry about that. A bit easier to avoid the stares, if you know what I mean."

"Ah. So most rainwings do not imitate other dragons?" Sahara inquired.

"Oh no, plenty do! I meant the darker colors… You've never met a Rainwing have you?"

Sahara shrugged, "They are not common in the desert. Your tribe does prefer their easy life in the rainforest."

His tone was almost accusatory, and Eclipse reacted angrily and instinctively.

"I don't care what my tribe does. Although from what I hear they are doing better under Queen Glory!" Eclipse practically shouted.

Sahara's face stayed neutral despite Eclipse's outburst. "From what you hear? Are you not from the rainforest?"

Eclipse cursed himself mentally. One day in and already screwing up.

"I'm from the edge, so I don't exactly get everything firsthand. In fact, I didn't even know we had a new Queen till after the war was over."

Sahara nodded as if that satisfied and placed his welcome scroll on a rack under Eclipse's.

"So." Sahara's attitude changing completely. "What does one do around here for exercise?"

Eclipse stared at him, thrown off by his change of tone. "I-I don't know, I just got here too, I was actually wondering the same thing. Does the welcome scroll say anything about it?"

Sahara shook his head. "The scrolls only has the map and winglet information, then a simple welcome letter."

Eclipse frowned, "Okay… do you have any idea who else is in our winglet then?"

"That." Sahara says, "Was on the scroll."

Eclipse snorted in amusement. Maybe this sandwing wasn't too bad. "Alright wise guy, then since you read the scroll, you should be able to tell me."

Sahara grinned, "Gladly. So we have seawing, his name is Torrent. Our icewing is named Blizzard, 4th Circle no less." Sahara added the last part mockingly. "A skywing named… Crimson. Huh, Crimson in the Scarlet Winglet, someone definitely laughed when doing that. And a Nightwing named Runereader. No Mudwing though..."

Eclipse snorted, "I thought dragons fought to get in the queue for this school, how are we missing one?"

"I heard from one of my friends that no winglet has a mudwing this year. Maybe there's something wrong back in the delta?"

Surely if that was the case Outlook would have told me ahead of time… "I just hope we aren't missing anyone else."

"No kidding. I haven't even met a nightwing yet. Well besides those two at the entrance."

Eclipse, still confused about Sahara's change of personality asked, "Are you going to act like you did when you met me?"

"Oh, you mean blank and rude?" Sahara snorted, "That's just how I test dragons. You reacted well if a bit angry."

"That was a test?" spluttered Eclipse. "Are you serious?!"

"Yep, helps me decide who is worth my time talking to," Sahara said easily.

"You sound like my mentor-" Eclipse snapped before cutting himself off. He was already slipping up, there was something about this dragon that just caused Eclipse to let down his guard. He didn't like it.

"Mentor? Is that like a rainwing teacher?"

Eclipse didn't answer.

"Alright. I'll take that as a 'maybe?'"

"Take that as a 'None of your business'" Eclipse retorted.

"Alright…

Eclipse opened his mouth to change the topic when a relaxed tone interrupted. "Are you two going to keep arguing? If you didn't notice, you're not the only ones in here."

Eclipse's head snapped to the corner where the voice came from and didn't see anything until he moved. A nightwing! I didn't even see him!"

"Have you been there the whole time?!" Sahara said in a voice as shocked as Eclipse was feeling.

"Er? Yes?" The nightwing said as if he thought they were crazy.

Sahara recovered faster than Eclipse, who was still shocked that he hadn't spotted the nightwing.

"Well, since you're in our cave, I am guessing you are Runereader?"

"That I am, but please, call me Rune," Runereader said offhandedly.

"You shorten your name as well? Do all nightwing's do that?" Sahara asked curiously.

Runereader seemed caught off guard, "I wasn't aware anyone else did that? Great. Now I seem unoriginal."

"Yeah, the nightwing handing out scrolls at the entrance said her name was Moonwatcher, but to call her Moon."

Runereader's eyes widened in shock for the briefest moment before he hid it, then he asked, "Moonwatcher?"

Eclipse didn't miss his expression and shot a glance at Sahara to see if he saw it too.

Sahara gave nothing away as he asked, "Do you know her?"

"Nope, not personally, heard of her though, with her being the first mindreader in centuries and all."

Eclipse unconsciously ran his talons across his armband that protected him from mindreading.

"Oh, I had heard rumors of a new mindreader, I didn't know they were real though!" Sahara explained, not missing a beat of the conversation.

"Yeah, its definitely true, a little unnerving isn't it?" Runereader said not sounding unnerved in the least.

"You could say that," Eclipse murmured.

"On a lighter note! Have any of you seen our icewing yet?" Runereader said.

"Not yet, but his name is-"

"Yes, yes" Runereader gestured impatiently, "I know, Blizzard, 4th Circle, what part of I've been here the whole time do you not get?"

"If you know all of this then why ask?" Eclipse remarked sharply.

"I didn't ask who he was. I asked have you seen him?"

"No. We haven't" Sahara said, cutting off Eclipse before he could snap angrily.

"Alright, then you don't know that he's been outside the door for… three minutes?" Runereader called out the door, "Blizzard you can come in now!"

There was an exclamation of exasperation before a mostly frost white icewing walked in and said. "Rune, I swear, one day I am going to fool you. Its like you know what's going to happen before it does!"

Runereader grinned, "Seems like it doesn't it?" he turned to Eclipse and Sahara. "This is Blizzard, A friend of mine from the Ice Kingdom, although he seems to be under the illusion he can hide more inconspicuously than me."

Eclipse felt like he had been slapped in the face. First, he hadn't noticed Runereader, then his friend managed to eavesdrop without him noticing! Three moons, I'm already screwing up! And they aren't even the target… I think?

"Good to meet you," Sahara said holding out a talon to shake, apparently forgetting his 'test' attitude.

Blizzard shook his talon and looked around. "So we're the cool kids huh?"

Sahara snorted, "A rainwing that acts like a nightwing, a nightwing that acts like a normal dragon, and an Icewing that isn't stuck up. Yeah, we'll be a rousing success." he said sarcastically.

His words were greeted with exclamations of mock anger.

"What do you mean! I can be stuck up if I want to be! Don't insult me!" Blizzard said with a hurt expression, only the amusement in his eyes gave him away.

Runereader was busy exclaiming, "What do you mean I act normal! I'm definitely not normal! I'm like the opposite of normal."

Eclipse was actually happy with Sahara's mock assessment of him. Better to be a Nightwing than a Mudwing.

"I'd give you a 7/10 on the normal scale." Eclipse commented as offhandedly as he could manage. "1 special point for being friendly, two for having an icewing as a friend."

Runereader shrugged, "I can live with that."

"What about me?" inquired Blizzard, "What's my 'normal scale'"

Eclipse shrugged, "8? 1 for a Nightwing as a friend, and 1 for not being smug and stuck up?"

"Hey. Why do I only get one point for having him as a friend?" Blizzard complained.

"Because he's a nightwing." Eclipse pointed out.

"Are we seriously having a conversation about how normal we are?" Sahara said amusedly.

"Yep, and you're definitely a 9 Sahara, you are exactly what I expected from a Sandwing, maybe a bit more reasonable though."

"Three Moons…" Sahara said rolling his eyes.

Runereader turned to Eclipse. "I think you are the oddest of us all, never met a rainwing quite like you. The closest I can think of is Queen Glory. So I'd give you a 4/10 normal factor. That's only because you still do color it seems."

Eclipse waved his talons in front of his face and shifted his scales to black and gray. "Think again."

Sahara facepalmed, and Rune started laughing. "Alright, alright, two then!"

Eclipse grinned satisfied and shifted his scales back to scarlet and crimson. He opened his mouth to comment again when he heard his stomach rumble. He looked at them and asked, "Are you guys hungry?"

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 **Alrighty, I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written. At least that I've published and isn't one massive run on sentence. Soo... yeah.  
** **I am still looking for OC's for the other Winglets so feel free to send me the Name, Age, Tribe, Appearance, and Personality. And it might make it into the story. BTW powers are not allowed so no mindreading, prophecy, animus etc.**

 **~Runereader of the Nightwings  
DefectiveStories  
**


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